With more viewers
signing online to view television, advertisers are capitalizing on that growth by
introducing more ads, TVNewsCheck reported.
CBS shows twice as
many ads in comparison to last year, while The CW shows four times as many, the article said.
Networks have been increasing the number of ads in hopes that they can make
about as much money per viewer online as generated by tradition television ads.
They originally offered online viewing with limited commercials to keep
audiences away from unauthorized websites, but with the persistent growth, the
networks have introduced more ads.
Online viewership is still small compared to traditional
TV. On average, Americans spend about 160 hours a month watching television and
only seven watching video on a computer or web-capable device, according to
recent data from Nielsen Co. Online ad firm FreeWheel Media Inc. reported that
people watch 9 billion online videos from clients such as Fox, CBS and Turner
in the last quarter of 2010, up about 50% from the previous quarter.
ZenithOptimedia predicts an increase of 22% to $3.3
billion in online video ad revenue. TV ad revenue is predicted to grow only 5%
to $59.4 billion.
In addition to more ad revenue, those who watch the shows
with exactly the same ads as the TV airing will be counted in Nielsen's regular
TV audience ratings. Beginning this April, networks can add these viewers to
their total count and generate more money.
